The following club and individual records are due to the Extension office (NOT POSTMARKED) by Tuesday, August 25th. If you need assistance in completing any of these items, please contact the Extension office.

J Illinois 4-H Standards of Excellence for 4-H Groups. Clubs who can answer "yes" to 11 out of the 14 Standards of Excellence will be recognized with a patch for their banner.

J Recognition of Achievement Standards. Members who meet the criteria on the Achievement Standards sheet for their age group qualify for individual achievement awards. Please list their names in alphabetical order along with their ages as of 9/01/08. First year member two columns —by age and as a 1st year member. Members who do not meet the criteria should not be listed on the form.

J Secretary and Treasurer's Books (including FEIN#) These two items must be completed and on file in the Extension office before a club can be re-enrolled the following year. Stress to the secretary and treasurer that the entire club is depending on them to fulfill their club officer duties. Clubs will be audited on a regular basis.

J Reporter's Monthly Report. Club reporters should submit a copy of the article sent to the news media along with a copy of the article as it actually appears in the newspaper to the Extension office. Some reporters do this on a monthly basis, while other do it quarterly or once a year.

J Club Scrapbook

J Club Program Booklet—Clubs who submit a copy of their club program booklet each year will receive a patch for their club banner. Call our office if you are not sure if we have a copy of your program booklet on file.

J Electricity Award Application– A 4-Her may only win this award once. The deadline to apply for this award is Tuesday, August 25th (Not Postmarked)

J Illinois 4-H Award Applications This application was revised last year and you should have a copy in your L.O.C.K. boxes or can be downloaded from our website. Sample applications are on file at the Extension.

The fairs are over and now thoughts turn to the end of the year record keeping. ALL clubs MUST complete and turn in a secretary's books, treasurer's book and the Recognition of Achievement Standards Form. Clubs will not be re-enrolled until this requirement is met. Contact the Extension office if there are any questions or concerns regarding these award and record items.

Please place all of the items listed in the above article in your L.O.C.K. boxes and return it to the Extension Office by August, 25, 2009.

The Recognition of Achievement Standards, Achievement Standards Criteria and the Illinois 4-H Standards of Excellence for 4-H Groups, along with the Club/Group Report and the Illinois 4-H Award Application and the Electricity Award Application were all placed in your L.O.C.K. boxes last fall. Additional copies of these and other material can be downloaded from our website at www.extension.illinois.edu/ford

There are still slots open on Federation therefore we are extending the deadline for Federation applications to August 15, 2009. Youth ages 14 and over by September 1, 2009 are invited to join the 4-H Federation. Anyone interested must fill out an application. Applications can be obtained from the L.O.C.K. boxes or you can direct them to the website, where they can download a copy.

If chosen the members will come on as delegates. Federation members usually meet on the fourth Monday at 7:00 p.m. at the Extension office in Onarga. Members coordinate community service projects, like the Canned Food Drive and Toys for Tots and other activities and fundraisers.

2009-10 Federation Board

Melanie Behrends

Shannon Cleary

Ella Herges

Claire Heyman

Jessica Hummel

Ashley Luhman

Ashley Nagele

Quintin Miller

Jacob Taylor

2009-10 Federation

Delegates

Katie Kurtenbach

If you have club members interested in Federation please have them fill out a Federation application and return it to our office before 8/15/09

Mark Your calendars for Tuesday, August 25th for the 2009 Fair Evaluation meeting. The meeting will be held at 6:00 p.m. at the Extension office in Onarga and is open to anyone who would like to share their thoughts in regards to the 4-H shows held in conjunction with the county fairs in July. Written suggestions or comments are preferred. Included in this mailing is the blue Fair Evaluation sheet. They will also be available for download from our website at www.extension.illinois.edu/ford You can use this sheet for your own comments or pass it on to someone in your club who might have comments and/or suggestions.

Unfortunately we cannot be everywhere at the fairs so we rely on you as volunteers to be our eyes and ears. So sometimes things may happen that we are not aware of. Please use this opportunity to keep us informed so we can continue to make these fairs better each year.

We also would like to know the things that are going well or that we did right, so please feel free to comment on those things as well. Positive feedback is always welcome and appreciated.

Here is a look at some upcoming dates and deadlines:

· August 10 - Club/Group Award Applications due

· August 14– Ford-Iroquois Day at State Fair

· August 25—all other records and award applications are due and turn in all required forms with your leaders L.O.C.K. box

· August 25-Fair Evaluation meeting @ 6:00 p.m. with Youth Committee meeting to follow.

· August 29– Dog show at State Fair

· August 31– June Dairy Month Reports due

· September 1 - New 4-H year begins.

· Mid-late September– Fall Leaders Meeting/TBA

A new opportunity that we decided to start is an Alumni Association. Ford & Iroquois counties are blessed to have such dedicated volunteers most of which are alumni of the 4-H program.

Recently at the fair you may have had the opportunity to see the posters and the sheets and wondered what it was all about.

At this time we are just gathering information about our alumni. The next step will be to determine how this association would like to function. That will be up to the members of the association to decide what their role and function will be.

Spread the word, to family and friends to fill out this form. If you were a involved in 4-H in Ford & Iroquois County (leader, member, volunteer etc..) then please complete a form.

If you were involved in 4-H outside of Ford & Iroquois County but now reside in either county, (volunteer, leader, member etc..), please complete a form.

The Alumni Registry form will be available on our website under program registration.

This program registration will also allow us the opportunity to offer alumni a chance to give an online gift/donation to the 4-H program in Ford & Iroquois county.

It will cost only $10 to join the Alumni Association and $30 if someone wants to join and also provide a scholarship to cover the 4-H program fee for a youth.

Each Year, the Midwest Dairy Association of Illinois sponsors June Dairy Month Activities. Local 4-H clubs are invited to plan dairy promotions in their community and distribute free materials (recipes, stickers, bookmarks, coloring sheets, etc) provided by the Association. Young and old alike enjoy these events and learn more about the importance of dairy products and the many choices available.

Judging for monetary awards and certificates will again be based on the returned 4-H club June Dairy Month Evaluation Report Form. These reports should include supporting information such as newspaper clippings and pictures of your promotions. Reports are due to the Extension office by August 31 (NOT POSTMARKED). Copies of the evaluation form can be found with this mailing.

Several clubs from the Ford-Iroquois Unit participated in this program. Other clubs are encouraged to consider this a club projects next year.

1. Has your club had a successful year?

2. Have you conducted a special event or series of events in the community this year?

3. Have your club members participated in a group project such as Walk in My Shoes or Passport to the World?

If you can answer "YES" to one or more of the above questions, your club should consider completing a Club/Group Award Application. The short application includes a brief account of the following: club goals, who participated, what was learned, number of people reached by the project, and future plans. Photographs and newspaper clippings should also be attached to further explain the group effort.

Youth members should be involved in preparing this final report and their names and contact information included where requested.

Club/Group Award Application are due by August 10th, 2009 (NOT POSTMARKED) to the Extension office. Specific guidelines are found inside the application.

As the 4-H year comes to a close, we would like to take this opportunity to express our thanks to each of your for a job well done. We know that being a 4-H leader involves a major commitment of time and energy.

Your interest, enthusiasm and dedication to 4-H in the Ford-Iroquois Unit allow us to provide quality programs for the youth in this area. Club leaders, superintendents, and 4-H families are the key players in this effort throughout the year.

We look forward to our continued partnership as we follow the 4-H motto "To Make the Best Better".

Kimberly Rahn

Aimee Chandler

Deanne Holste